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Snapper with an eye on the world

FROM Europe to America to Asia and back – Dan O’Day’s work as a wedding photographer has taken him to all corners of the world.

It’s been a wild ride for the bornand-bred Canberran, who left his safe public service career of more than nine years and a successful band to take photos of happy couples on their wedding days.

And it was a massive leap of faith that has paid off. Last month, he was awarded AIPP Australian Wedding Photographer of the Year, an accolade he’s been chasing for some time (the last two years he’s come runner-up).

This win joins a long list of awards O’Day has received since taking up wedding photography in 2009, a time when he considered a wedding down the central coast as a big “destination wedding”.

These days he’s jet setting across the world – a quarter of the weddings he shoots are overseas for international clients – shooting weddings, speaking at conferences and even shooting editorial spreads for fashion designers. One of which is American fashion designer of couture wedding gowns, Claire Pettibone.

These days he may only shoot three weddings a year in his home town.

“In 2010 I won a couple of big awards that fast-tracked me and opened a lot of other opportunities,” he says.

“I was finding I was shooting less and less in Canberra and more overseas.”

O’Day is now considered one of the world’s best, listed as one of the top 10 wedding photographers in the world by Bill Hurter, editor of “Rangefinder” magazine, and as one of the best destination-wedding photographers in the world by Junebug Weddings.

“If I can give the couple a sense of what the day was like; how it smelt, how cold it was – if they can remember those things by looking at the way I have documented it, then I can give them their day back,” he says.

One of the more recent weddings he shot was closer to home, in Sydney, and it was not your average wedding. Held at the Carriageworks, a two-Michelin star restaurant that was shut for the night to cater the event, which featured appearances from musician Asta and rock band The Jezabels as well as a live-cross from American comedian Arj Barker. The wedding is set to feature in “Vogue”.

“I met them when they got out of the car,” O’Day says of the couple.

“I had no idea how insane this wedding was going be.”

Although he has no plans to slow down his work in wedding photography, he is keen to start work on his other artistic pursuits, in particular painting and potentially holding an exhibition of his work, which is no surprise as his father and brothers are all painters.

He’s also thinking about picking up where he left off on a photojournalism project he started in 2011 that focused on marriage after the big day, in particular older couples who have been together for many years.

Called “Two Lives, One Love: A Retrospective”, O’Day spent a couple of days documenting the lives of Canberra couple Ginger and Pearl who had been married for more than 65 years.

His photos were published in a fine art book that eventually won the national 2013 Head On, Momento Photobook of the Year award in the Documentary/Photojournalism category.

O’Day says despite the busy career that takes him across the globe, he’s still pretty keen to continue calling Canberra home, where he lives with his American fiancee Andrea. They plan to marry next year at Bawley Point where, he says, they plan to give Andrea’s family the “full Australian experience”.

“We’re thinking it’ll be under the stars, with really good food, a good Irish band and maybe about 50 people,” O’Day says.

Although he and Andrea have a clear picture in mind of their day, one thing hasn’t been settled – finding a wedding photographer.

“Half the guests are some of the best wedding photographers in the world,” he says.

Visit danodayphotography.com.au

0400 043764, helen@citynews.com.au Photographer: Andrew Finch Advertising manager: Greg Jones, 0419 418196 Senior advertising account executive: David Cusack, 0435 380656 Advertising account executives: Kathy Leigh, 0400 293991; Liam Jones, 0400 092095 Production manager / graphic design: Janet Ewen Graphic designer: Paulette Leo Proof reader: Glenda Anderson Accounts manager: Bethany Freeman-Chandler accounts@citynews.com.au

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A toss-up to top off our vintage election year

The payment to UnionsACT may be small beer, but not a good look. And when combined with the auditorgeneral’s report into the government’s Land Development Agency, it all adds to the sense of sleaze at the edges.

DECISIONS, decisions – 2016 is undoubtedly a vintage election year, especially for Canberrans. And the closer we get to October 15 the more interesting the local poll is becoming. In fact, it now looks like a toss-up.

Unfortunately, we don’t get to vote for the Leader of the Free World. That, sadly, is left to the Americans where a big chunk of the electorate won’t even bother. If Canberrans were given their say, the first great debate would have had us falling over ourselves to send Daffy Donald back to his flashy, trashy, penthouse.

That he has come so far is a frightening commentary on the democracy that the Americans say they prize so

highly. And even after that appalling performance, the highly qualified Hillary Clinton is leading by only six points! What are they thinking?

NOT that we’re doing so great in our own version of democratic governance. The same-sex marriage imbroglio has highlighted the weakness at the centre of our situation and its name is Malcolm Turnbull . The PM is leader in name only while Christian extremists such as Cory Bernardi and George Christensen act as stalking horses for you know who. When asked this week, Tony Abbott said his leadership ambitions were “dead, buried and cremated”. Yep, just like Work Choices and the GST.

IN our own beloved ACT, the Liberals are throwing everything but the kitchen sink at the Barr-Rattenbury Government in their attempt to reclaim the Treasury benches.

dose of dorin

They’re now calling into question government payments to UnionsACT for work health and safety services. They want the auditor-general to investigate funding of about $120,000 annually for the last 13 years without competitive tender.

ROBERT MACKLIN

Does your business want to save money and be environmentally responsible?

Originally, the payment went to a qualified officer within the UnionsACT. But now, they say, it’s been subtly altered to a “policy and research role” filled by a Labor Party insider. Small beer, perhaps, but not a good look. And when combined with the auditorgeneral’s report into the government’s Land Development Agency, it all adds to the sense of sleaze at the edges.

THE same goes for political donations. It’s one thing for CM Andrew Barr to ban contributions from developers, as he promised. But why stop there? How about the unions? And what about the clubs that are making such a fuss about a few pokies in the casino?

QUITE a shock when the entire state of SA was blacked out by a storm that blew over high-voltage transmission towers and lightning struck a power station. Malcolm Turnbull accused state and territory Labor governments of being “dangerously preoccupied” with renewable energy. This, of course, is the same renewable energy designed to slow the global warming that causes the massive destructive storms. But the states and the Commonwealth certainly must increase the pace of security engineering in the grid.

THIS week’s column comes from Brisbane, the old home town, where we’re spreading the word of our Hamilton Hume biog. When I left the “Courier-Mail” all those years ago to seek my fortune in the south, the idea of emailing a weekly column from anywhere in the world was quite unthinkable. Many despots remain, but the Tyranny of Distance is gone forever.

robert@robertmacklin.com

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• support to implement efficient recycling and waste management practices

• obligation free onsite energy and water assessments

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politics / ACT election

Labor cops an unhelpful hiding on integrity

ACCOUNTABILITY and integrity

regularly cited as a key issue by the plethora of small parties and independents that make up the 141 candidates standing for the election in the ACT.

Political opportunism combines with genuine concern when even the most minor levels of corruption are identified in government.

A scathing report by ACT auditorgeneral Maxine Cooper could not have come at a better time for those candidates. Or at a worse time for Andrew Barr’s Labor government.

The report, “Certain Land Development Agency Acquisitions, 7/2016”, begins: “Transparency, accountability and rigour have been lacking in the processes used by the Land Development Agency” and adds that the auditor-general “will consider conducting a broader audit on the Land Development

This report concerns about the length of time Labor has served in

The auditor-general’s scathing report adds fuel to concerns about the length of time Labor has served in government and apprehension about the complacency regarding integrity.

government and apprehension about the complacency regarding integrity.

Casino Canberra has landed right in the middle of election issues.

Canberra Community Voters, for example, have been established to oppose pokies in the casino.

Casino owners, Aquis Entertainment, proposed a “quid pro quo” to take on a huge development in one of the quieter parts of Civic including two new hotels, with a hundred five-star rooms, restaurants and high-end retail outlets. Candidates are questioning the integrity of the process.

The casino development deal was proposed for Glebe Park in one of the areas under question in last Friday’s auditor-general’s report. Ms Cooper pointed to anomalies in the relationship between the Land Development Agency (LDA) and the way they used Colliers as valuers. The land in Glebe Park changed value from $4.2 million

for residential use to a valuation of $3.6-$3.8 million in an informal letter for the same zoning use despite the zoning not allowing residential at this stage and the purpose purportedly being about relocation of a stormwater pond facility.

Issues around land development and deals have underpinned the rationale for independent candidates such as former Yarralumla Residents Association president Marea Fatseas in the central seat of Kurrajong. She has letterboxed a leaflet calling for “a ban on developer donations”, “an independent integrity commissioner” and “better urban planning”.

In the same electorate the Greens candidate and ACT Minister, Shane Rattenbury, has also leafleted a call for an independent integrity commissioner. The Like Canberra party’s Maryann Mussared calls for an “increased public confidence and transparency”.

Some will argue that the raft of non-majors pushing this line are just jumping on a bandwagon.

However, the issues have been around for too long to be dismissed that easily.

Others will argue that the auditorgeneral has just demonstrated her role in maintaining integrity is enough.

Most candidates are looking for more.

The Abbott government appointed the Royal Commission into Trade Union Governance and Corruption, under Commissioner John Dyson Heydon. It successfully exposed national and local instances of corruption that, unfortunately, reflects badly on all unions.

As I pointed out in this column in March, the ACT was not spared.

The flipside has not entered the general consciousness. Corrupt union officials indicate corrupt businessmen prepared to part with the money.

At the time Liberal Leader Jeremy Hanson released a “Memorandum of Understanding” between the government and UnionsACT, obtained under

FOI. Amongst other things, it stated: “Prior to any contract being awarded: The list of tenderers for each contract will be provided to UnionsACT” and later: “Only providers/performers of works and services who meet the set criteria will be pre-qualified”. The Memorandum of Understanding had been signed many years before Andrew Barr became Chief Minister. Unfortunately for Labor – the government still wears the flak.

Under this sort of pressure, Barr has finally conceded the need for an Integrity Commission. A doubt remains for me. Will the Independent Integrity Commission be completely open in its remit? Will there be restrictions in the legislation such that it cannot, for example, investigate the conflict of interest between Labor members and poker machine revenue?

The issue of corruption, accountability and integrity has been under long-term sustained criticism by the Canberra Liberals. However, many years of successful minority governments with cross-benchers holding whoever is in government accountable provides a strong motivator for voters to look beyond the major parties.

Michael Moore was an independent member of the ACT Legislative Assembly (1989 to 2001) and was minister for health.

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lowbrow Algorithm of life is a beautiful thing

A FUNNY thing happened the other night at my place.

We were sitting on the couch wondering what we wanted to watch on Netflix. My girlfriend suggested I choose something, so I flicked the user account to mine and started browsing.

“Oh, no, you don’t! ” she shouted.

“We always watch the good shows on your account and now Netflix thinks I’m stupid.”

This is a bigger problem than you at first might think.

Netflix the company, of course, has few cares about the intelligence or otherwise of its viewers.

But the algorithms deep in the guts of its software make observations about viewers and try to use that information to suggest more shows we might like.

If my girlfriend’s account only ever accesses trashy reality shows (the sort of thing I might retire to another room to avoid) the software will only suggest more of the same.

Years ago, when I tried an early software-driven music service, I had the flipside of this problem. That service

Algorithm – Something programmers use when they don’t want to explain their code.” – Urban Dictionary

kept asking me if I liked the music that was playing, in order to try and tailor a music experience for me. The problem was I’d self-report being happy with higherbrow material than I actually like. The result was playlists stuffed with Shostakovich and utterly lacking in DragonForce and Alestorm (the musical equivalent of trashy reality TV, one might say).

Modern services such as Spotify pay less attention to self-reporting and more to what we listen to without skipping.

This is all well and good if it was just limited to what music we hear and what TV shows we watch.

But machine learning, big data and the algorithms that drive them are intruding into more and more spheres of our life.

Facebook decides what news you want to see based on how you responded in the past to other items in your feed.

AirBnB shows you potential places to stay based on how likely its software thinks the owner of the apartment is to accept your application.

Around the world, fire brigades and food-safety inspectors are targetting their inspections algorithmically.

Police and intelligence agencies are tempted to profile this way as well.

An early failure after September 11, 2001, is instructive.

A bright spark decided to map out the phone calls of everyone involved. The idea being that people who had been called by multiple conspirators would be worthy of investigation themselves.

This was moderately disastrous for the purveyors of home-delivery felafel in their areas of operation.

Machine learning often operates in what are called “black boxes”, no one knows what assumptions are being made.

It’s bad enough if the police keep pulling you over because your skin is a particular colour.

It’s much worse if you’re continually the subject of government inspections because you share a single unknown characteristic with a number of otherwise unrelated miscreants.

There’s no appeal from the increasing computerised characterisations of ourselves.

Imagine, after that, what it’s like to come home from a long day of regulatory harassment to be offered a bunch of garbage on Netflix.

John Griffiths is the online editor of citynews.com.au

To record a valid vote in the ACT election on Saturday, 15 October, write numbers in the squares on the ballot paper – no ticks or crosses. Start from 1 and don’t use the same number twice.

You should fill in at least five squares. You may then show as many further preferences as you wish.

Electronic voting is also available at some polling places. If you choose to vote electronically, the program will guide you through the voting process.

Remember, distributing how-to-vote cards is banned within 100 metres of polling places, so plan how you want to vote in advance.

For more information visit www.elections.act.gov.au or call Elections ACT on (02) 6205 0033

Are you ready to vote?

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When a missionary is murdered

By Nick Jensen

WEST

Australian Salvation Army Major

Geoff Freind was killed in Malawi, Eastern Africa last week.

He was on a five-week missionary preaching tour, during which he was brutally assaulted. He leaves behind a wife and four sons.

Some may see this as simply a sad story of an unfortunate travel incident, but there is a deeper story that must be told. The reality is that for missionaries like Geoff, assault and death are not uncommon. Geoff knew the dangers and the risks. Geoff knew about the gangs and high murder rates. Geoff still went.

Now I am not implying that his assault was necessarily related to the preaching he was doing in Malawi. It may have just been a robbery gone too far. However, what is clear was that this was a dangerous area he had chosen to go into, and his primary motivation was one of service, support and salvation for the people of Malawi.

Many Australians have a dim view of Christian missionaries, mostly revolving around the harsh narratives of the churches’ “partnership” with the Australian government in the Stolen Generations. However, not only do we owe a great deal to missionaries like Geoff for much of the positive work done in indigenous communities in the last 200 years, but in fact we owe them for much that is good in our

global societies today.

In 2012 a research paper was published in the American “Political Science Review” by sociologist Robert Woodberry. It was the fruit of more than a decade of work, 50+ researchers and hundreds of thousands of kilometres travelled. The question he sought to answer was: “Why did some developing countries turn into corrupt dictatorships, while others turn into flourishing democracies?”

He explored every option and the answer is a surprising one: if you were a developing nation between 1880 and 1930, and had a large number of these missionaries, you became a flourishing democracy. If you had little or none, then your health, education, government, economy, rights, and corruption were all much worse 80 years on.

Despite an outcry against this preposterous conclusion, Woodberry’s paper received

more awards for its thorough, accurate and ground-breaking work than any other in the publication’s history. It also makes some sense when you follow the logic.

These missionaries went to dangerous areas, taught people (particularly the poor) not only that they have inherent worth as human creatures made in the image of God, but also how to read the Bible. With the missionaries’ help these people then pushed education and printing presses, challenged the colonising country and corporations on human rights abuses, used money more wisely and brought integrity and honesty into their own government structures. A strong middle class, accountable government and healthy economies were the result which supported the growth of an overall flourishing democracy.

Often these missionaries lost their lives in the process, but that was the price they were willing to pay to bring their message of hope and worth. Although we may not acknowledge it often, we are deeply in their debt. Maj. Geoff Freind, we honour you and the sacrifice you and many other missionaries like you have made. May God rest your soul.

Contributions to Geoff’s family to 137258 or my.salvationarmy.org.au/donations/ single-donation and put “Geoff Freind” in the comments section.

Nick Jensen is the director of the Lachlan Macquarie Institute, which helps develop leaders in public policy (lmi.org.au)

briefly

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Time for ‘arrogant’ government to go

CHIEF Minister Barr and Shane Rattenbury regard opponents of their light rail project as luddites, but they show their own lack of touch with technological change by imposing an early 20th century solution on a 21st century problem.

A range of current and developing technologies would do more to reduce the daily commuting grind in the ACT than an expensive tramline that will take 30 to 50 years to extend throughout ACT suburbia and which will soon be seen as a white elephant when it doesn’t deliver the promised benefits.

Neither Barr nor Rattenbury blush at the fact that large areas of Tuggeranong have the worst internet service of any urbanised region in Australia and we are not even on the NBN plan for the next three-year period!

If they were to negotiate strongly with NBN Co and provide some of the money they intend to waste on light rail to subsidise fibre to the premises in the ACT, we would have an internet service capable of supporting telecommuting (a word they appear to never have heard of).

Another rising technology which will help make the tramline obsolete is the introduction of semiautonomous electric vehicles.

electric commuting vehicles could be common on our roads and certainly 20 years from now advances in transportation and work practices will have rendered much of the daily commuting hassles a thing of the past.

Barr has shown nothing but desperation by touting the light rail extension to Woden. He has no costings, no credible timetable and no idea of how to get it across Lake Burley Griffin, let alone around or under the Parliamentary Triangle. Let me give credit where it is due. The government and Shane Rattenbury have done well in fostering the implementation of renewable power generation for the ACT. But that is about where their credit ends.

Weigh it up against a jail that provides very little rehabilitation training for inmates despite strong evidence that it reduces recidivism; an attack on the ACT clubs’ system via extraordinary rate hikes and by allowing a foreign owned consortium to place pokies in the casino; the unethical creation of a job for Brendan Smyth just to disadvantage the Liberals (using ratepayers’ money, of course), and the government’s too cosy relationship with developers.

THE Canberra Rape Crisis Centre, the second oldest continuously operating service for victims of sexual abuse and the last surviving rape crisis centre in Australia, is marking its 40th anniversary at a luncheon with former Governor-General Dame Quentin Bryce as guest speaker. The fundraiser is at the National Museum of Australia on October 18. Tickets are $75 and bookings to eventbrite.com.au

Birthday dinner

MEMBERS of the Canberra City Evening VIEW club will reprise the Olympics with a themed birthday dinner to mark the club’s 24th anniversary at Yowani Country Club, Lyneham, on October 12. The two-course meal costs $35 and visitors and interested ladies are welcome. RSVP by October 8 to 0418 480780 or email brenda.v@ hotmail.com.au

Family dance event

FOLK Dance Canberra is hosting a celebration of dances from all around the world for the whole family – grandparents to children – at the Hackett Community Centre, 114 Maitland Street, 2pm4pm, on Saturday, October 22. Dances are taught by a qualified teacher. The cost is $10 a family. More information to 0420 524412 or email folkdancecanberra@ gmail.com.au

Admittedly, now in its infancy, this technology will flower long before the government can scrape together the money to expand the light rail network.

Within 10 years, small, smart

COLUMNIST John Griffiths uses the date of origin of the jack plug stating the “design dates from 1878” as well as “that the hole in the phone makes them break when they get wet” as part of his criticism of those who want Apple to retain the feature.

This is despite there having been, for many years, jack plugs sealed at the base specifically to solve this issue of water ingress and that the technology for printing on paper (the medium used by “CityNews”) originates circa the 1400s.

Other aspects of the average mobile phone (possibly all mobile phones) John might like to consider for criticism include:

It is clear that the government has been in office too long and has become both arrogant and condescending.

The vibrating feature, which is generally provided by a small electric motor with an off-centre mechanical load (surely that is getting on a bit); soldering of components (similar vintage to early jack plugs) and carbon used in resistors (again, early telephone technology if not earlier).

John’s article (CN, September 22) is a total waste of space. Surely he could have better used the resources of ink, energy and paper to address some significant issues as opposed to the public’s reaction to a marketing decision by some phone manufacturing company.

John Evans, via email

keeps us ‘on the tenters’

A CANBERRA visitor reading Dougal’s review of “Bridget Jones’s Baby” (CN, letters, September 29) was upset by his giving away the ending. No, he didn’t spoil it for all! Moreover he didn’t even say which “casual bonk” was responsible for “that naughty sperm”. Dougal does keep us “on the tenters”.

Anyway, when a movie is good knowing the end should not affect its quality for the viewer, otherwise nobody would go and see a movie such as, for example, Joan of Arc. Most people know what happens at the end.

opinion / how the government drives up Canberra’s land prices

Feeding not fending off ACT’s housing crisis

BRAVO. Chris Bowen, the Shadow Federal Treasurer has added his considerable voice to those concerned about housing affordability in Australia. Bowen has declared that Australia has “become a nation that can no longer house its own children”.

What he means, of course, is that we can no longer house those children from families whose household incomes place them in the bottom two and a half income quintiles. The rest are still okay, thank you, Jack. It is working-class Australians and the middle-class service professions and callings such as teaching, nursing, police, childcare, hospitality and retail who have been priced out of the housing market, most particularly for detached housing.

These are the very people who have traditionally constituted the ALP’s heartland. It is all the more surprising

The ACT government has clearly taken a conscious policy decision to constrain the supply of land for detached housing. I am not aware of the reasons for that decision.

then that the ALP response to housing affordability, which Bowen describes as an issue that is at “crisis levels” before going on to exclaim that for young Australian families the great Australian dream had become “a pipedream”, has been so muted.

I would be the last person to disagree with Chris Bowen’s conclusion that housing affordability is “in crisis”. The questions that I think require more attention and analysis, most particularly in the ACT, are the causes of the crisis and the most appropriate response.

I say “most particularly in the ACT” not only because it is where I live and because it is my community, but also because of the very different circumstances that apply here. For instance the focus by Chris Bowen

JON STANHOPE

Marion’s blanket runs hot and cold

IT may look like a random rainbow of colour, but there’s more to Marion MacLean’s crocheted blanket than meets the eye.

Marion’s blanket is a “temperature blanket” – a record of Canberra’s minimum and maximum temperatures so far this year.

Marion, who has been crocheting since she was 17, began the project earlier this year after she saw a temperature blanket from the US at her crocheting group.

Already at two metres in length, Marion has used eight colours of wool with reds and yellows representing the hotter temperatures and blues and purples the colder temperatures.

Marion, who is an assistant performance analyst and is surrounded by data every day at work, says she is enjoying seeing data come to life creatively.

“It’s great to see the statistics in this way,” she says. “But also it will now become an heirloom for my family and a historical item

and Federal Labor on negative gearing is, while relevant, not nearly as significant in the ACT as it may be in other places. I would be concerned if a focus on negative gearing as the bogey man driving unaffordability detracts from the real cause of the affordability crisis in the ACT. Negative gearing does have an impact on affordability mainly because of constrained supply. Maintaining supply of land and housing in other Australian cities may indeed be very challenging, but it should not be a problem in the ACT.

Accepting that negative gearing does have an impact on house prices, it can be assumed that the decision by most who invest in housing, and negatively gear, is driven by their view on likely capital growth, whether in the asset or in rental yield. There is also an implicit understanding in Australia that governments will not, for political and social reasons, pursue policies that would bring the price of houses down.

If the housing market was operating efficiently then the returns would approximate the returns in other efficient markets such as stocks. If the housing market is not efficient because of (say) supply constraints and/or political imperatives such as not doing anything to drive down the price of existing dwellings or ensuring a cash return on land sales sufficient to pay for expensive transport infrastructure then investors will, of course, be attracted to invest in housing to reap the super returns that we currently see.

However, it would be reasonably straightforward for the unchecked price growth that is now a feature of the ACT detachedhousing market to be avoided. The horse has, unfortunately, well and truly bolted but with the unique combination of levers at the disposal of the ACT government, namely monopoly control of land supply and full control over all the relevant planning arrangements, the prices could be stabilised and the effects of negative gearing negated.

The ACT government has clearly taken a conscious policy decision to constrain the supply of land for detached housing. I am not aware

of the reasons for that decision. However, it was a deliberate political decision, one of the consequences of which is that the median price of a house in the ACT has increased by 25 per cent since 2011. The median price of a unit has barely moved in that same period. That is a clear indication of the consequences on Canberra house prices of deliberately limiting land supply.

Chris Bowen is correct. There is a housing affordability crisis in Australia. The best single response to the crisis in the ACT is not to tinker with negative gearing, but to simply ensure a supply of land equal to demand. All that needs to be done to achieve that is for Cabinet or the minister responsible for the LDA to reverse the direction the LDA must have been given to not do so.

Jon Stanhope was Chief Minister from 2001 to 2011 and represented Ginninderra for the Labor Party from 1998. He is the only chief minister to have governed with a majority in the Assembly.

Page 12 – Why we have to vote to keep housing affordable

for Canberra.

“Some people might create a temperature blanket for a child in their first year, however I took it to the extreme. This has created a clearer picture of the changes in temperature in Canberra.”

Marion hopes to crochet another temperature blanket in five years time to do a comparison.

– Freyla Ferguson

Can’t get to a polling place on 15 October?

If you can’t get to a polling place on ACT election day, 15 October, don’t worry. You can cast an early vote at a pre-poll voting centre.

Pre-poll voting centres will be open from 9am to 5pm from Tuesday 27 September each weekday (except the public holiday, Monday 3 October) and on Saturday 8 October; and from 9am to 8pm on Friday 14 October.

Belconnen: Belconnen Community Centre, Swanson Court

Canberra City: Pilgrim House, 69 Northbourne Avenu Eclipse House, 197 London Circuit

Gungahlin: Gungahlin Library, Hibberson St

Tuggeranong: Salvation Army Hall, Corner Anketell St and Reed St North

Woden/Phillip: Callam Offices, 58 Easty St

Or you can apply for a postal vote:

• online at www.elections.act.gov.au

• by calling Elections ACT on (02) 6205 0033

• by completing an application form available at any ACT Post Office, or ACT electoral office.

For more information, look for the Election Guide in your letterbox soon. Remember, voting is compulsory.

Are you ready to vote?

Why the Raiders really matter

WHEN the Raiders won the premiership in 1989 there was a perception that the team had provided the rest of the country a glimpse into the true Canberra.

Before the Raiders there was a feeling among people living outside Canberra that, other than Federal Parliament and the Australian Public Service, there is little else.

The Raiders did their best to change those perceptions, not just once, but three times.

For years there seemed to be a view that the people of Canberra made it their business to make life hard for the rest of the population by putting up taxes and cutting spending. “Canberra” seems to be mistaken as and made a substitute for “the Australian Government” on a regular basis.

The Brumbies did their bit to change the image as well with two premierships. The celebrations and the outpouring of joy with the success of both football teams did more to energise the image of Canberra than millions of dollars in tourism marketing.

It continued this year as the Raiders made their charge

The Raiders, through their success this year, did more to bridge the gap between Canberra and the rest of Australia than any previous marketing campaign.

towards the finals only to go down in the preliminary final.

The back-page spreads in Sydney newspapers and the endless hours devoted to Canberra on television and radio were solidly focused on the Raiders and the refreshing brand of football they were playing.

It was a style that, in many ways, reflected the way Canberra has changed as a city. I would go as far as to say the Raiders, through their success this year, did more to bridge the gap between Canberra and the rest of Australia than any previous marketing campaign. People outside the city were not talking about Canberra in reference to decisions made by Federal Parliament; they were

speaking with passion about our football team.

That’s why any government money spent on sporting teams, such as the Raiders and the Brumbies, is funding well justified.

Not only do the teams generate tourism with people coming to Canberra spending money on accommodation and the like, but there is the intangible value of putting the city into the minds of those who had not considered visiting before watching the Raiders or the Brumbies on television.

That brings me to my next

point, which is the proposed indoor football stadium in Civic, which seems to be on the back burner through lack of funds.

Opponents say the cost is not justified; government money should be spent on hospitals and education.

I have no issue with that, but surely there comes a time when there’s a realisation that our sporting teams actually do more than many other local industries to generate funds and a priceless sense of goodwill and exposure for the city.

If it’s based simply on people coming to Canberra to watch Raiders’ and Brumbies’ games then the argument for funding a new stadium falls short, but if other factors are taken into account the case surely has consider able merit.

briefly

Festive time for carers

CARERS ACT is hosting the annual, free, family event, Canberra Carers Festival, at the community park at 80 Beaurepaire Crescent, Holt, 10am-2pm, on Saturday, October 22. The festival includes entertainment, food, face painting, a jumping castle, local musicians and performers and other family activities. There will also be a community craft market run by carers from around Canberra.

Waterbugs are back

WATERWATCH is bringing back its popular “waterbug search” activity to the Queanbeyan Community Enviro Expo, which will be run in conjunction with the Queanbeyan River Festival on Saturday, October 29. Danny Spelic will conduct fly fishing demonstrations throughout the day and Malunggang the Platypus will make appearances.

The expo will be at the end of Trinculo Place, 11am-4pm.

Gemcraft show

THERE will be free demonstrations on cabbing, faceting and jewellery making at the Canberra Lapidary Club’s Spring Gemcraft and Mineral Show at EPIC’s Mallee Pavilion, 10am-5pm, over the weekend of October 29-30. Minerals, fossils, jewellery, rough and cut gemstones, lapidary equipment, opals and beads will be for sale and club members will show their collections. Entrance is $5 for adults and $10 a family. More information at canberralapidary.org.au

Coming to your emotional (eating) rescue

To effectively change emotional eating habits, it’s important to understand what drives them.

MANY of my clients struggle with emotional eating. It’s a common experience and many people can relate to feeling low and looking for comfort in food and drink.

The pattern is often very similar. We might start the day with the best intentions for our food choices, but as the day (or week) goes on, work gets hectic, we feel overwhelmed with family commitments and there are just not enough hours in the day.

We start to feel really low or stressed out. We want to make ourselves feel better or we think: “What’s the point?’. We buy those foods that we have been trying to avoid and we overindulge. Afterwards, we feel sick, we feel like we’ve failed and that we will never reach our goal. So, we do it all over again. It’s a vicious cycle and it’s holding many of us back from our health and fitness goals.

Emotional eating habits are learned behaviours. We pick them up from the habits of others, from our own past experiences and from our beliefs about food and our bodies.

The good news is that we can unlearn these habits and relearn others. It’s not an easy thing to do, but it is do-able.

To effectively change emotional eating habits, it’s important to understand what drives them. We can’t expect to change a behaviour without changing the factors that cause it to happen. That would be like expecting to have a holiday in Fiji without buying a plane ticket.

We need to ask:

• What emotions trigger my emotional eating?

• What is the thought process that makes me eat when I feel that way?

• What are the beliefs I have about food, my body and my emotions?

• Is my diet setting me up to fail at controlling emotional eating?

These are difficult questions to answer off the cuff. We need some tools for effective self reflection:

• A food journal. Unintentionally restricting our food intake during the day can cause us to become overly hungry (or “hangry”). This can make stressful situations seem worse and make it more difficult to say “no” to that box of charity chocolate in the work kitchen. Keeping a food journal can help us to see our daily intake clearly and then make changes to include more filling foods throughout the day.

• A thought journal. We are rarely aware of our own thoughts when it comes to emotional eating habits. We operate on autopilot. We also speak to ourselves in very negative ways. Writing down our thoughts can help us to identify whether our thoughts are logical, helpful or even true. Once you have written down your thoughts, ask yourself: “What would I say to a friend if they were thinking these things about themselves?” If you struggle with emotional eating, try keeping a journal of your food and your thoughts and determining what your drivers are. Working with a qualified health professional, including a psychologist or dietitian can help you to address these drivers and stop eating for emotional reasons.

Clare

‘Canberrans deserve to have a local government that acts with integrity.’

Hanson vows to fix health and end neglect

OPPOSITION Leader Jeremy Hanson vows that health will be his number one priority if he is elected to lead a Canberra Liberals’ government at the October 15 poll.

“Canberrans deserve the best health system in the nation and our tremendous doctors and nurses deserve a better system to work in,” he says.

“Over the past 15 years of ACT Labor and Greens rule, our health system declined from being the best in Australia to the worst.

“The neglect has resulted in the longest emergency department and elective surgery waiting times in the country and a litany of terrible experiences by patients and their families seeking care.

“The Canberra Liberals will deliver the change Canberrans need in health by funding a $395 million redevelopment of the Canberra Hospital, building two new satellite public hospitals in Gungahlin and Tuggeranong, funding 52 new nurses, enhancing security at both the Canberra and Calvary Hospitals and delivering 24 new public defibrillators to save lives.”

Q: PUBLIC schools seem to be bursting with enrolments; they’re also limping along suffering from infrastructure neglect. Have the Canberra Liberals got a plan to fix education?

A: LIKE health, ACT Labor has neglected our education system. Many schools are bursting at the seams and struggling to cope with demand. The root of this worsening issue can be drawn back to when the Labor government closed 23 schools more than a decade ago because we’re now seeing overcapacity issues in the

same places where schools were closed.

The Canberra Liberals have a plan to fix education. We will deliver $60 million for new infrastructure and capital upgrades to bring our public schools up to the standard Canberra’s children deserve. This funding will improve infrastructure and build capacity. We will also provide a new site for a Catholic school in the rapidly growing Molonglo.

We are placing a big emphasis on kids with special needs and will deliver $17.5 million to assist these kids in non-government schools and $7.5 million for our special schools. On safety, we will install flashing safety lights at every Canberra school.

Q: ANDREW Barr is going ahead with light rail. How will you stop it?

A: ANDREW Barr’s decision to sign contracts and proceed with an unaffordable tram project demonstrates his arrogance and how much he’s riding along taking Canberrans for granted. When he signed the contracts, he knew there was concern in the community, but turned his back and completely disregarded it to keep peace with his Coalition partners in the Greens.

The Canberra Liberals are offering the public a genuine choice on October 15: if you vote for us, you are voting to stop a tram network that will cost ratepayers $14 billion. Very few Canberrans will benefit from the current proposal from Gungahlin to the city, while everyone living in places like Belconnen, Woden, Weston Creek and Tuggeranong will be paying for it. Our alternative is a proper rapid-bus network that will benefit all Canberrans in all suburbs.

Find out more at: canberrastransportfuture.com.au

If elected, I will sit down with the consortium tasked to build the tram and seek to repurpose the contract to build badly needed infrastructure like hospitals, schools, better roads and local amenities.

Canberrans know a vote for ACT Labor or the Greens means a vote for high rates and neglect of local services.

Q: YOU’RE quoted as saying there’s a “smell” around the government when it comes to land development. What’s the problem and how do you fix it?

A: OVER the past few months numerous incidents and media reports have led to the perception of a “smell” and serious concerns with the way Andrew Barr and his government conduct business.

There are stories of deals for mates and a number of land development deals are under investigation. There is an unfair Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) in place giving UnionsACT unprecedented power to veto government contracts.

Given ACT Labor has been in power so long, relationships have become cosy and there is clearly a need for better checks and balances.

The Canberra Liberals believe in government integrity, which is why I have committed to establishing an ICAC

to investigate questionable deals and ensure proper government processes are adhered to. I have also committed to beefing up the powers of our oversight bodies by making the ACT Public Service Commissioner fully independent and increasing the capacity of the Auditor-General.

Canberrans deserve to have a local government that acts with integrity. Businesses vying for government work have a right to know the process for getting it is fair. Integrity is important and I will restore faith in local government.

Q: YOUR election promises seem to be markedly more modest than Labor’s big-ticket pledges. If you want to get elected, isn’t this the time to be throwing money around?

A: FIRST and foremost, Canberrans need investment in health, education, better roads, public transport and better local services. We will deliver this but in a responsible, believable and committed way.

Our hospitals, transport network and investment in schools will all be delivered as quickly as possible within a term of government.

As usual, ACT Labor is being tricky with its promises. It won’t actually deliver its hospital promise until after 2020, meaning you have to vote Labor twice to get one. There’s a similar theme for many of Andrew Barr’s other commitments.

When it comes down to it though, what you can be sure about at this election is that if you vote Labor or Green, you vote for higher rates to fund a $14 billion tram network. If you vote for the Canberra Liberals, you’re voting for responsible economic management and investment in the things that we need.

The Labor/Green Tram = higher rates

Instead, the Canberra Liberals will:

 Fix Canberra’s hospital waiting lists, by expanding Canberra Hospital and building satellite facilities in Gungahlin and Tuggeranong.

 Create 52 nursing positions to relieve pressure across the health system. That’s on top of extra nurses, doctors and specialists for our hospital expansions.

 Invest around $100 million in our schools, supporting kids with disabilities and special needs schools. And we’ll install flashing lights in all school zones.

 Recruit 30 new police officers to replace positions cut by Labor and the Greens.

 Invest in additional fire fighters and new fire fighting equipment to protect our city, and retain firefighters in the call centre.

 Fix Northbourne Avenue by replacing on-road cycle lanes with express bus lanes and putting a cycle path on the median strip.

Housing: Why we have to vote to keep it affordable Trams:

WHILE our roadsides might be covered with signs about trams, schools and hospitals, the winner of the ACT election on October 15 is going to be faced with a problem that threatens all of our neatly worked plans for the social and economic future of the city.

A lack of affordable housing imperils prosperity and good social outcomes in equal measure. It constrains everything we do and hope to achieve in Canberra.

Earlier this year, Anglicare released its 2016 Rental Affordability Snapshot. It describes the number of properties, rooms and rental arrangements affordable to people on various income types using the commonly accepted benchmark of paying no more than 30 per cent of your income on housing. It looked at people on fixed incomes and on the minimum wage and found there were no properties affordable to a single person on Newstart; no properties affordable to a person on Austudy; only one property affordable to a person on the Disability Support Pension; and a handful of properties affordable to people on an aged pension.

It also found that there were no properties affordable to a single person on the minimum wage and small numbers affordable to people on minimum wages with families.

The fact that Canberra has almost no housing affordable for people on fixed incomes is a blow to our notions of fairness and equity.

The lack of housing for entry level workers and students should also be a real worry to anyone concerned about the economic future of our city. Canberra needs affordable housing that meets the needs of our workforce into the future. Long gone are the days when our city could see itself as a city of public sector office workers with 9-5 jobs and stable incomes. Instead, we are becoming a town more focused on our education sector, on tourism

In an unlikely alliance MICHAEL HOPKINS, from the Master Builders Association ACT, and TRAVIS GILBERT, from ACT Shelter, find themselves in furious agreement that the lack of affordable housing is straining fairness and economic growth in Canberra.

and hospitality and on being a regional retail destination.

The highest projected employment growth, to November 2018, will be in the public administration and safety industry, when it is predicted the industry will account for 32.7 per cent of the labour market.

Continued strong growth in health care and social assistance jobs will see this industry retain the second largest share of the labour market (10.3 per cent) ahead of the professional, scientific and technical services industry (9.5 per cent). The education and training industry will grow marginally, providing 9.2 per cent of jobs. Projected to grow at a rate of 0.5, the retail trade industry will account for 7.2 per cent of the ACT labour market in 2018. The construction industry will make up 6.5 per cent of the market, growing at a rate of 0.4. Despite having the fourth largest growth at a rate of 0.6, the administration and support services industry will only account for 3.1% of the labour market.

We don’t have workers to fill them now. The latest skills shortage report from the Federal Department of Employment lists shortages or difficulties in recruitment across 11 different industries ranging across education, childcare workers, construction and trades, automotive engineers, and health workers.

Where the economy and social imperatives join is in the cost of not meeting these challenges.

Housing poverty results in further demands on our social services and emergency programs. If not

dealt with, some people find a path into acute and emergency settings as well as within the justice system. Financial insecurity and housing stress means that consumers spend less.

Unstable or inadequate housing can also contribute to time off school, study and work. At the extremes, older people trapped in housing that no longer suits them can suffer falls and injuries which see them in expensive acute healthcare.

Building good schools, hospitals, disability care, transport and city infrastructure all requires workers and they require somewhere to live. Whatever you care about in this city, the availability of affordable housing will either underpin it or derail it.

Indeed, we’re so concerned about the impact of a lack of affordable housing on the social and economic future of Canberra that we’ve taken the unprecedented step of putting community and industry interests together in the final weeks of the election campaign.

Usually it’s candidates asking for our vote, but we are flipping the campaign, inviting voters to bring housing issues directly to the door of their elected representatives and to ask them to vote for legislation and policies that increase affordable housing if they enter the Assembly after the election.

Michael Hopkins is the deputy executive director of the Master Builders Association ACT and Travis Gilbert is director of ACT Shelter.

OPPONENTS of better public transport are largely drawn from the 93 per cent of Canberrans who don’t use it now and can’t see why they should have to pay for it.

They are used to driving everywhere and parking at the door for free. That is what it was like when they arrived in Canberra in the ‘70s and they can’t understand why it needs to change.

Canberra is changing. Parking is no longer free and the vast free car parks of Civic and our town centres are no longer there. Free car parking in the Parliamentary Triangle no longer exists.

As our city matures, those vast spaces are being replaced with buildings that are of greater economic use than having a car sit on them for eight hours or more a day.

Buses in Canberra once coped admirably with the task assigned; yet as the city stretched to Tuggeranong and Gungahlin, a bus trip became long and circuitous. We asked ACTION to be both a local bus service and a mass transit provider. It has struggled with this dual task, and under varying management and union approaches, it has seen patronage trend down as private-car use soars.

At the same time, the intertown routes are at capacity. Clearly a better approach needed to be adopted and, in 2012, the ALP and the Greens went to an election with light rail as that better approach.

In 2016, light rail construction has started. Over time a network will link Canberra and encourage greater public transport use, better planning around transport corridors and decrease road congestion.

Opponents of light rail talk up a bus-only solution, yet it is obvious that more of the same will deliver us, well, more of the same. More buses won’t lead to greater public transport use. More buses on the roads won’t reduce road congestion either. Not on Northbourne and not anywhere else. They also claim autonomous cars will suddenly emerge from labs and become

The biggest flaw in the self-driving car dream is what happens when 14,000 Raiders fans exit Bruce Stadium after a victory.

the panacea to the private car, and miraculously reduce the need for mass transit.

While this technology may eventually become practical, it isn’t now and not for the foreseeable future. Even if it was, it really only replaces one car for another and a robot car going home and returning twice a day doubles road congestion instead of reducing it.

The biggest flaw in the self-driving car dream is what happens when 14,000 Raiders fans exit Bruce Stadium after a victory. Or when the Department of Inland Drainage closes down at 5.30pm and 1100 employees walk out the door at once. Which person’s car arrives to pick them up first? Where do they queue?

We replace traffic jams with driverless traffic jams. Driverless cars are not a mass-transit solution. They are a part of a larger transport picture with multiple solutions to multiple demands. Light rail offers passenger capacity beyond current buses, with 220 people able to be carried in a single, light-rail vehicle. When light rail service commences, over a million bus kilometres a year will be freed up to increase frequency of local bus services.

As each light rail stage rolls out, the integration of bus and light rail becomes better, and service becomes more frequent and more reliable.

Driverless cars and buses alone cannot provide these future options. We need to support the politicians who have invested enormous political capital in our future by recognising that the Canberra of the past has changed and we need to let that change happen in a planned way.

Damien Haas is chair of ACT Light Rail.

DAMIEN HAAS

National Safe Work Month advertising feature

Great workplaces can only be safe workplaces

“IT CAN only be a great workplace if it’s a safe workplace,” says Diane Smith-Gander, chair of Safe Work Australia, ahead of this month’s National Safe Work Month.

“If you have a business or you manage a business, whether small or large, take a step back, consider how you are impacting safety,” she says.

“I encourage you to set an action plan, both for yourself and your team, to promote safety in October.

“National Safe Work Month is an opportunity for everyone at work right across Australia to raise awareness of work health and safety, to discuss risks in the workplace and to share stories.”

Safe Work Australia has developed a range

of resources, including a free Virtual Seminar Series and promotional materials to help businesses promote work health and safety during October.

It is also inviting workplaces to submit entries to the Workplace Participation Reward – the winner, whose entry displays the most outstanding spirit, participation, creativity and sustainability during National Safe Work Month will receive a prize pack valued at up to $5000.

To enter the Reward, businesses are asked what their October work health and safety initiative is and how it makes their workplace safer.

Smith-Gander says it’s important for business leaders to set the “tone at the top” to embed a positive safety culture in the workplace.

Visit safeworkaustralia.gov.au

Health and safety course starts soon

FOR those looking to get qualified in workplace health and safety or those interested in starting a career in the field, take a look at CIT’s Certificate IV or diploma in Work, Health and Safety.

Emily Stewart-Reed, head of health services at the college of health, community and science, says the courses are not just aimed at those in existing workplace health and safety roles.

“You don’t have to be a workplace health and safety manager to join the courses,” she says.

“A lot of people who join either own their own business or work in a big department and are those who are driving the principles of workplace health and safety.”

She said the courses are designed for a wide range of workplaces – from trades to small businesses to large departments.

Emily says the courses also have a strong emphasis on health, in particular identifying preventative measures to help workplaces become healthier and ultimately safer.

She says just some of the roles the courses could lead to include workplace health and safety manager as well as the increasingly popular health wellness officer.

She says it also provides a greater understanding of workplace health and

HEALTH AND SAFETY IS

RESPONSIBILITY Study Workplace Health and Safety at CIT and ensure your workplace is WHS smart.

Having strong workplace health and safety (WHS) practices isn’t just a social responsibility, it’s also smart business practice.

All workplaces expose people to hazards, no matter the industry you’re in. Hazards associated with everything from manual labour, sedentary lifestyles, hazardous chemicals, working with machinery and electricity and even psychological hazards such as stress can impact us all throughout our working lives.

safety for those looking to get into the fitness and allied health industries.

“It’s a certificate that adds to a CV and identifies to a potential employer that a person has the qualifications in that area,” Emily says.

She says for workplaces having an employee complete the certificate IV or diploma can result in many benefits for a business.

“It can reduce work-loss time by helping

workers become more productive, faster and safer and reduce unplanned leave,” she says.

“Employees also have that trust that employers are looking out for them.”

The next Certificate IV in work, health and safety starts this month.

Visit cit.edu.au/courses/health_fitness/ work_health_safety

Email infoline@cit.edu.au or call 6207 3188.

Clever WHS management will assist workplaces in reducing lost time and money due to incidents; as well as aid workers to feel safe, happy and more productive. Train at CIT and study our

made to assist you in your WHS career.

Empowering People with Knowledge

PARASOL is a leading Australian provider of training in:

• First Aid.

• Fire Safety.

• WHS training.

• Confined spaces.

• Work Safety in the Construction Industry.

• Work Safety at Heights.

Why choose PARASOL?

• Professional instructors.

• Nationally accredited and audited.

• Quality assured.

• All your training under one umbrella.

• Latest techniques and technologies.

• All the resources you need.

Nationally accredited training in First Aid, Fire Safety, Workplace Health & Safety, Business and more.

National Safe Work Month

Trainers who like to keep it ‘real’

FOR more than 20 years, PARASOL has been providing quality training in first aid, fire safety, health and safety, business training and advanced life support to individuals and corporate groups.

“We pride ourselves in our experienced trainers,” says Robert Boyes, national operations manager at PARASOL.

“For our first-aid training, our trainers are exparamedics or medical professionals. It’s the same for all our trainers – they all have experience in real life.

“We have expert trainers in a multitude of disciplines.

“Professionalism of trainers is what you get at PARASOL.

“You get life experience – people who know what they are talking about. When a student asks questions they get real-life answers, which to me is so much better than just textbook answers.

“It’s all about having the best people for the best

courses.”

PARASOL’s qualified and experienced instructors share their expertise with more than 55,000 people each year and train all over Australia.

Robert says up-to-date training for individuals and businesses is not only important in terms of legislative compliance but for businesses to ensure they are making their workplace as safe as possible for their staff.

“You want to do the best for your staff,” he says.

“Training in first-aid, fire and height is something that could save someone’s life.”

Coinciding with National Safe Work Month, PARASOL is offering a discount voucher to two Canberra eateries – The Dock and Thai Chiang Rai – for online bookings made in October. For terms and conditions visit the PARASOL website.

PARASOL, Molonglo Mall, Unit 17/105 Newcastle Street, Fyshwick. Visit Parasol.edu.au or call 1300 366818.

Commissioner urges everyone to work safe

IN the ACT, too many people are still being injured at work or experiencing workplace illness and that’s why during National Safe Work Month it’s important to stop and think about the ways we can make our workplaces safer and healthier, says Greg Jones, ACT Work Safety Commissioner.

“As ACT Work Safety Commissioner I get to hear about, and sometimes witness firsthand, the unfortunate consequences of workplace safety incidents and the devastating effects they can have on family, friends and workmates,” he says.

“WorkSafe ACT, as part of Access Canberra, will have a key focus on developing a range of safety education and training tools. A feature of many of our initiatives is raising awareness of health and safety standards, and reinforcing good safety practices.

“Short videos aimed at making Canberra construction sites safer will be launched during the month.

“Access Canberra, with the generous support of local industry bodies and Safe Work Australia, will be releasing the first in a series of safety videos using local construction workers to reinforce the message, ‘Think Safe, Work Safe, Go Home Safe’.

“‘Work safe in the workplace’, a new online training package, is being developed to provide targetted health and safety training for business managers and owners, and people preparing to enter the workforce.

“The package covers industries such as hospitality and tourism, retail, health and community services, building and construction, office and business services, electrical and electronics, and metals and engineering.”

Greg says Healthier Work Day on Wednesday, October 26 will highlight how government and business are tackling the challenge of making a healthier choice the easier choice at work.

“I invite you to take part in the photo and video competition, and I’m looking forward to judging the entries – visit healthierwork.act.gov.au for further information,” he says.

“I’d like to encourage all Canberrans to participate in some way during National Safe Work Month.”

Visit safeworkaustralia.gov.au/sites/swa/ media-events/safety-month

Services to target a safer workplace

WITH services that target safer workplaces, both physically and psychologically, The Rehabilitation Specialists is an award-winning rehabilitation provider that delivers a range of injury management services; workplace solutions; and specialist assessment, intervention and training services for both small and large businesses.

“At TRS we believe that our service offerings matter for the broader community because the health benefits of work have been well documented, and we assist individuals to return to health and return to work,” says Fiona Fonti, managing director of TRS.

“Individuals being away from work or not functioning at their optimal level is expensive. Costs relate to wages, lost productivity and expertise, and along with this, the personal costs in individuals losing confidence and their sense of self-worth.”

Throughout National Safe Work Month, TRS will be offering services including a fixed-rate pricing model for a range of workstation assessment options, which will be in place until December 31.

It will also be promoting the use of Dragon Voice Activated software as a way to prevent overuse injuries in individuals working in roles that are largely computer-based.

“TRS is able to deliver training in this software and also offer discounted software and headset packages when purchased in combination with training,” Fiona says.

“In addition, TRS is promoting the use of coaching within the workplace for managers and employees as a solution-focused way of dealing with challenges people may be facing.”

Two education sessions, in collaboration with John Littleton, a clinical psychologist, will be held on October 13. One will cover

“Resilient People and Workplaces” and second, “Strategies for successfully managing mental illness in the workplace”.

TRS won the 2016 Telstra Small Business of the Year, ACT and Fiona was recently awarded the Canberra Women in Business Young Business Woman of the Year 2016.

“We pride ourselves on delivering highquality, outcome-driven and tailored services to meet the complex and varied needs of our clients,” Fiona says.

“We are passionate about helping people to return to health and return to work, and enjoy finding solutions to address evolving issues in the market place and being able to effectively deliver these solutions to our customers.”

The Rehabilitation Specialists, 9/27 Yallourn Street, Fyshwick. Visit rehabilitationspecialists. com.au or call 6228 1089.

scene / around canberra

That’s

sundayROAST

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It’s a revolving panel show that brings to the microphone great “CityNews” commentators and 2CC personalities.

Be part of the conversation and call 6255

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Canberra Confidential

Trapped in a cabling knot

HERE’S how little people grappling with big problems bang their heads against an unhearing ACT government and other politicians.

“I have written to the Chief Minister and other politicians but nothing,” writes a fretful householder, who is in the middle of a nightmare not of their making.

“No one, it seems, wants to help us at this time. I wish to retire, but until I know what the legal cost is going to be, I am unable to do so. I cannot sell as I would have to disclose the problem.”

So, what’s the problem that the pollies are ignoring and ACT Fair Trading is getting nowhere with?

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission issued a scathing report last year on the safety of Infinity Electrical Cabling, which has been used in many homes in the ACT.

On its website it is blunt: “There is faulty electrical cabling in thousands of Australian homes and businesses. Time is running out before the cables become a fire or electrocution risk. Act now before it’s too late – get your cable checked.”

The householder, from Gungahlin, lives in an affected unit complex, but the developer/builder refuses to do anything about it, threatening to declare bankruptcy if he is pursued.

“He and his electrician will not respond to any correspondence,” says the householder, who wants to remain anonymous.

So, ACT Fair Trading writes, but won’t share a copy of the letter they sent to the builder. Fair Trading also turned up at the complex’s body corporate meeting in March, but no progress has been reported since then.

Pitiful, really, but if any Yerrabi politician (or any politician, really, the problem is all over town) wants to go in to bat for our troubled constituent, we’ll put you in touch.

Canberra’s worst footpath in Yarralumla, meet Canberra’s prettiest on Constitution Avenue.

In praise of the ‘age-friendly’ footpath

“A RE-ELECTED Labor government will make our suburban streets and paths even better so it’s easier for children to walk or cycle to school, and for older Canberrans to move safely between their home and the local shops.”

Hilarious. Those wags writing this blah-blah from deep in the Labor election bunker obviously haven’t shambled past this “age-friendly” piece of extremely

neglected and dangerous pavement awaiting Labor’s magic of being made “even better” in Hampton Circuit, Yarralumla.

And the contrast with probably the worst public footpath in Canberra and the newly-completed, art form, Constitution Avenue pavementing abutting the pedestrian wasteland that is Vernon Circle, couldn’t be starker.

Why the fence?

ANYONE else wondering why the Tuggeranong Parkway has enjoyed $1.9 million of Federal funding to install handsome, new kangaroo-proof fencing but, says one of our snouts-in-the-know, is not even listed in the 15 top black spots in the ACT.

Meanwhile, the unprotected ‘roo-strewn Monaro Highway has been scraping its way towards removing 100 dead kangaroos since July 1 on the highway between Cooma and the ACT border.

The Insurance Australia Group says there were 916 animal collisions in the ACT last year with kangaroos accounting for 825 of them.

LOOKS like basketball has become an aquatic sport in Bungendore after the downpour of rain last week. A local snout sent a snap of the town’s bloated Elmslea ponds and the sunken basketball court.

arts & entertainment

Film helps to heal the wounds of war

By Helen Musa

CANBERRA filmmaker Graham Gall may be a veteran in cinematic matters, but in “Exit Wounds” he’s an actor.

“Exit Wounds”, one of the highlights of this year’s Veterans’ Film Festival, deals with the question of posttraumatic stress disorder in returned servicemen.

Directed and written by Pattie Collins, the film is a stylised “conversation” with former Australian Army medic David Villanti, who served with the UN peacekeeping mission to Rwanda but, after seeing unimaginable horrors and working in a morgue without refrigeration, lost his family, his friends and his job on returning to Australia.

In a theatrical twist, Collins has Gall playing Villanti, but the real-life character puts in an appearance, too.

“It’s set in a studio,” Gall tells “CityNews”, explaining that the movie makes no attempt to hide the fact that it’s fake.

“It’s like a current affairs video and part of the story is how David became a professional actor… through acting, he manages PTSD.

“It’s a kind of an experimental drama because I play him, but he is also in a studio observing the shoots.

“Exit Wounds”, which Gall also edited, was mostly shot at CIT’s state-of-the-art studios, but at times the film cuts away to footage from Rwanda and then, in a triumphant scene on location in Canberra, his redemption through joining Sydney’s Veterans Motorcycle Club.

“He became a complete mess until he joined the club,” Gall says.

“He’s still in recovery, but he’s good and this is a glimpse into his life – and we’ve become good friends.”

It was Collins’ idea to make the film after hearing Villanti’s remarkable story. It took five years listening to him, but after she had developed the script and asked him to play himself, he broke down, later agreeing to have Gall play him.

The film ends in a triumphal moment involving 50-60 volunteer bikers from the Veterans Motorcycle Club.

“We shot the whole thing at 5am driving along past the War Memorial – beautiful

“The way we’ve edited it we see David riding along with them into the

The 2nd annual Veterans’ Film Festival, Australian War Memorial, October 13, 14 and 15. “Exit Wounds”, 2.30pm, Saturday, October 15, Australian War Memorial. Bookings to veteransfilmfestival.com

Ray and that rock-star swagger

By Helen Musa

BELL Shakespeare director Peter Evans counts himself lucky to have Samoan-born actor Ray Chong Nee play the noble Moor of Venice in the company’s upcoming new production of “Othello”.

“Othello needs to have rock-star swagger,” he says.

“Ray has charisma and he’s got a certain gravitas. John [Bell] reminded me that Olivier said it was the hardest part of all, you need an actor who has a poetic nature but can also play a warrior.”

Chong Nee is considerably helped by the Bard.

“Shakespeare catches the casual racism of the Venetian state,” Evans says, noting the ease with which people joke about him as “thicklips” and “the old black ram” despite fearing him as their general.

“They need him, but he’s never allowed to be fully part of the society; it feel so feels contemporary,” says Evans.

However, cultural appropriation is less on the director’s mind than the discussion about domestic violence in the play.

“The two main women, Desdemona and Emilia are killed mercilessly and that speaks to contemporary issues,” he says.

But Desdemona is no milksop

or sacrificial victim. She is in Evans’ view delightful, but “she does not go gently into the good night, putting up a good struggle… it’s one of the bloodiest and most violent death scenes you will see in an ‘Othello’.”

Elizabeth Nabben is Desdemona and Evans has been following her work since she was in drama school.

He says her intelligence contributes to the realisation of a part he describes as “one of the most painful characters of all… Elizabeth brings a lot of integrity to that character, she has to do a lot of work in a very short time on stage.”

Like Chong Nee, she has help from a familiar source.

“Shakespeare is brilliant the way he is able to imagine himself into a different gender in a different race, it’s quite incredible,” Evans says.

Weirdly, he notes, that everybody but Othello, including Desdemona, carries on for most of the play as if they’re in a comedy like “The Merchant of Venice” or “Twelfth Night”. Until the horror sets in. Weird or not, the production has been packing them in in Melbourne and Perth. Evans rates the play in the top five Shakespeares, and concludes: “Everybody knows exactly what ‘Othello’ is about but few people have ever seen it”.

Bell Shakespeare presents “Othello”, The Playhouse, October 14-22. Bookings to canberratheatrecentre.com.au or 6275 2700.

Director stunned by festival response

FESTIVAL director Tom Papas sees Canberra as such a perfect place for such an event that he plans to move here from Sydney.

Set at the Australian War Memorial and now supported by the RSL, the festival is now entering its second year and has attracted films from 13 countries.

Papas is a little stunned at the huge reposes to last year’s debut, but puts it down to the pressing need for an understanding of veterans’ lives and wider discussion about society’s attitude to war.

This year’s festival starts with Canadian-made, Afghan war feature “Hyena Road” but ranges in focus:

In “The Ravens”, starring Sarah Snook and Jeremy Lindsay Taylor, we meet a veteran struggling with the aftermath of battle.

“Ozone” is a sci-fi film set in a future devastated by global nuclear war.

“Red Line” is a quirky Iranian animation comedy where a turtle and a lizard are unwillingly involved in a war between two great powers.

And there’s an Oscars touch. The Red Poppies are probably the most beautiful trophies on the arts circuit. Hand-blown by Canberra glass artist Annette Blair, they will go to Best Australian Feature Film, Best International Feature Film, Best Australian Short Film and Best International Short Film.

The not-so-magnificent ‘Seven’

By Dougal Macdonald

“The Magnificent Seven” (M)

IN 1954, Japanese filmmaker Akira Kurosawa made “The Seven Samurai”, which ran for more than 2½ hours in several Japanese-language editions and spawning 93 sequels, imitations and TV satires (now mostly irrelevant, with one exception).

In 1960, John Sturges released the first English-language version with a stellar cast led by Yul Brynner. In the annals of the Western genre, that version ranks very high, in my book right alongside “Shane”.

The eventual ranking of Antoine Fuqua’s 133-minute, 2016 version is unlikely to attain comparable heights. Its reputed production cost was $US90 million. Its plot is analogous to Kurosawa’s original. It’s visually spectacular. Five writers including Kurosawa get screenplay credits. The actors, led by Denzel Washington, do their best with the material.

Yet Fuqua’s film falls short of expectations. Perhaps I’m being unkind in that. Perhaps I’ve seen enough really great Westerns that have branded their cultural themes and values too deeply in my memory. But

while it is undoubtedly a fiction, that doesn’t justify niggly little defects that diminish respect for its ancestry or an obtrusive musical score.

As the villainous Bogue who’s running the mining community of Rose Creek with an iron fist, Peter Sarsgaard’s performance meets the screenplay’s expectations. The names of two leading characters memorialise two pioneering cattle drovers – Washington playing Samuel Chisholm, who blazed the Chisholm trail and Ethan Hawke as Goodnight Robicheaux, whose given name also memorialises the Goodnight-Loving droving trail and whose family name is the one given by James Lee Burke to the hero of several of his prize-winning contemporary crime novels.

The rest is a large, often noisy, often brutal, often corpse-ridden, pot-boiling actioner.

At all cinemas

“Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children” (M) IN childhood, Abe Portman (Terence Stamp) escaped from Poland. In old age he lives in the US, where his teenaged grandson Jake (Asa Butterfield) discovers family material that sends him to an island off the English coast to find the school

where Abe went to avoid the blitz.

The building is now a ruin left by a German bomb in September 1943.

The plot for this fantasy film, directed by Tim Burton, comes from a “young adult” novel by Ransom Riggs and adapted by Jane Goldman. The lower age range of its target audience is probably puberty, which its “M” classification makes access to it something of a problem for under-16s.

The principal characters are the children at the school when the bomb hit and their teacher Miss Alma LeFay Peregrine (Eva Green) who each afternoon at the precise time the bomb fell turns back the clock by 24 hours thereby saving the occupants. Yes, it’s a pleasantly flavoured, time-travel story in which Jake and Emma (Ella Purnell) form a friendship, somewhat complicated by Emma’s need to wear lead boots that keep her otherwise-weightless body from blowing away.

Just off the island lies a sunken ship, in the saloon of which is the

ART A UCTIO N

box of Jake’s family memorabilia that Emma and Jake carry to the surface. From that point, the story delivers fantasy mixed with excitement, dread and charm along changing threads of time and place, agreeable enough without making unmanageable demands on credibility.

At all cinemas

“Life, Animated” (PG)

WHO can really know the emotional, intellectual mind of a human afflicted by one or other form of autism?

Ron and Cornelia Suskind have come close to doing that. This doco by Roger Ross Williams, based on Ron’s book, tells the story of their second son Owen’s progress from onset of the condition at age three to independent adulthood.

Owen, in late single-digit years, became devoted to animated Disney films. French animator Mathieu Betard has illustrated Owen’s development showing aspects not available from Suskind family videos.

“Life, Animated” is one of two docos about Owen. The other is a short film titled “Land of the Lost Sidekicks” drawn by Betard and based on Owen’s fondness less for principal characters in the Disney features than for their sidekicks –think Jiminy Cricket for starters.

Owen’s battle with his condition is not so much heroic as determined. Without imposing difficulties of comprehension, the film delivers a message of optimism for families with children showing signs of autism. It has won numerous awards. I can, from personal experience of a boy in Brisbane, confirm its credibility.

At Palace Electric

Puzzled by the promise of more arts gongs

MEMBERS of the Canberra Critics Circle, which has been hosting the annual ACT Arts Awards and Artist of the Year (now sponsored by “CityNews”) for 25 years, are puzzled to read the proposal in the ACT Opposition’s arts policy of $225,000 for “new Canberra Arts Awards across a range of catagories [sic] including; performance, painting, drawing sculpting and more”. The critics have been doing it for next to nothing by subscription and with the generous support of the public.

THE original stage version of rock musical “The Island of Doctor Moron” premiered in 2014 to rave reviews for its larger-than-life characters. Now it’s a movie and will be screened at the National Library of Australia, 6.30pm, on Friday, October 14. Bookings to tickethost.com.au

THE Canberra International Music Festival has appointed Canberra arts community stalwart and president of MusicACT Gavin Findlay as its new general manager. The festival has also scored funding from the Australia Council and Events ACT. “This festival has come of age,” crows jubilant director Roland Peelman.

RADFORD College drama teacher, footy coach, writer and rock band leader George Huitker has reminded us that it was he who cast Stef Dawson as Kate in “The Taming of the Shrew before she became a Hollywood star. (“CityNews”, August 25). He also notes the Radford origins of the groups Safia and Hoodlum Shouts.

FORMER Canberran and classical guitarist, Jacob Cordover, now lives in Barcelona but will unveil his

new CD “Expresivo” at a privatehouse concert in Rivett at 7pm, on Friday, October 14. Bookings to trybooking.com AS part of Mental Health Month there will be an exhibition of art in various media at The Q, Queanbeyan, from October 10-22. Opening by psychologist Dr Basseer Jeeawody at 6pm, Monday, October 10, all welcome.

THE Song Company will perform a program of reconciliation at Wesley Uniting Church, 6pm, on Thursday, October 13. Bookings to songcompany.com.au

MEANWHILE Wesley Music Centre has the Remember Bach Festival coming up, 10am-4.30pm, on October 15. It’s a collaboration between Austral Harmony and the Wesley Music Foundation to raise funds for an Early Music Scholarship. Bookings to trybooking.com/ NAMJ or at the door.

CANBERRA-raised baritone Jeremy Tatchell and pianist Elena Nikulina. “From Russia (and NZ) with Love” will play for Art Song at Wesley Music Centre, 3pm, on Sunday, October 9. No bookings required. Tickets at the door.

THE Sydney Lawyers Orchestra is performing a free concert in the Great Hall of the High Court, 1.30pn on Sunday, October 9, that includes the premiere of a work by Frederick Septimus Kelly, the Australian composer, pianist and Olympic gold medallist who died 100 years ago on the Western Front. Free but bookings to hcourt.gov.au/about/concerts

Pork and hams and lots to drink about Dining hall set to be a gem

By Richard Calver

IT was Father’s Day eve and the air was redolent with the smell of roasting pork; around the house the sounds of groans when the dad jokes came out...

“I was going to tell a dairy joke but it was too cheesy.”

“I told my doctor I’d broken my arm in two places. He said stop going to those places.”

“I’m trying to read a book on the history of soap. But I just can’t hold on to the story.”

“What do you get when you cross an actor with a pig? A real ham.”

With the roast pork we drank a Chalk Hill vermentino, 2015 made from 100 per cent vermentino grapes.

At $19 a bottle this is a good value, crisp dry white from McLaren Vale. Vermentino is yet another southern Italian grape from Sardinia suited to a Mediterranean climate and it thrives in SA.

It is a lovely, greenish-tinged wine that is usually paired with fish. While traditionally more aromatic whites are paired with roast pork (viognier, marsanne, roussanne and bold chardonnays), the combination worked with the unfortunatelyslightly-overdone roast pork not hogging all the flavour.

The size of the roast was a problem turned into an opportunity; there was no need to be disgruntled, like the pig that lost its voice, because there were at least three more main meals to be derived from the pork.

The Father’s Day dinner was pork stir fry with onion, capsicum, broccoli and brown rice finished with light soy sauce. I believe that the best drink to go with Chinese-style food is beer. While that might make me sound like a bit of a boar, beer seemed a good Aussie Father’s Day drink. And with the chocolate cake for dessert there was a Baileys Irish

Cream and then cheese and a port: a swine and cheese party?

There seemed to be no end to the bits and pieces of the roast. The dinner after Father’s Day was a pork hash (that’s the recipe with potatoes, not the stuff you smoke). And the dinner after that was pork and pea risotto, which finally used up the pork roast.

The drink de jour was another McLaren Vale Italian import, a Chapel Hill, the Chapel Verdelho, 2015. This is an interesting mediumbodied wine that dealt with the buttery, porky taste of the risotto well by leaving a clean mouthfilling citrusy taste.

The grape variety was originally grown for Madeira fortified wines and that was the purpose associated with the variety’s introduction to Australia in the 1820s.

Madeira is a world away (in Portugal, actually) from the succulent table wines that Chapel Hill now produces. It is a pleasure to drink this well-made varietal.

I would serve it again with pork, although the Chapel Hill website suggests that it should be matched with seafood. And that would work, especially with a full-flavoured seafood such as calamari. Pork can be matched with red wine and I think that a good Sangiovese would have particularly complemented the roast pork and the pork and pea risotto.

Sangiovese is, like the vast number of Italian wines, a variety that opens up with food. It is the main variety behind the everpopular Chianti. Alas there was none of that varietal in the wine collection. I remember trying a Pizzini Sangiovese from the King Valley in Victoria but, alas, that was a memory only; as thankfully now is the roast pork and derivatives.

And the two final dad jokes:

“What is the difference between a pig and a man? A pig doesn’t turn into a man when drunk.”

“What is worse than a male chauvinist pig? A woman who won’t do what she’s told.”

THERE’S a new kid in town on the dining scene. Otis Dining Hall, across from Green Square, Kingston, is set to be a gem.

It’s a blend of fine dining food, but in a relaxed, approachable and welcoming atmosphere.

Otis (where the Belgian Beer Café used to be) is still refining its approach and isn’t hiding that fact. Owner/chef Damian Brabender (formerly Sage) is smart enough to know that he can tailor based on feedback, and should tailor based on feedback.

The menu at Otis is intriguing but not out of reach for those who aren’t super adventurous. The dishes are meant to be simple but with flavours that certainly command attention. The plating is pleasing but not pretentious. Indeed, there is nothing pretentious about Otis, not even the staff “uniforms”.

Entrees range from $16 to $18 and the line-up has some star

dishes such as sweet corn, parmesan, horseradish and watercress. The three of us shared the chicken liver pate, all the more beautiful with armagnac ($16) – smooth, creamy, decadent. The beef tartare was intriguing and we agreed the smoked eel was a genius move ($16).

Five mains are on the Otis menu. The baked ocean trout, with butternut squash puree and spring vegetables ($30) scored 10 out of 10. It was cooked to perfection.

The pepper steak was melt-in-themouth. Before you think that pepper steak is, well, so old fashioned, think again. This dish comes with to-diefor silk-wood brandy jus – amazing ($42). The chips were great. Our only suggestion is to pour less jus on the dish and present the remainder in a small jug so diners can choose just how much suits.

The garden pea risotto was a super generous serve. I couldn’t finish it but did give it a go. I loved that it came with creamy goat’s cheese and a poached egg perched in the middle ($26).

We shared a garden leaves salad with a stunning tarragon dressing ($8). It’s so lovely to be able to order

a simple but tasty salad with a meal. Why don’t all restaurants do this? Some just don’t bother and others create side salads that are too complex.

Otis has made refinements to the décor and setup but the bones of the Belgian Beer Café remain (it was a super-expensive fitout). There’s a lot of wood that adds to the warmth and the long bar remains a major feature. The mirrors make the place feel even bigger than it is.

Otis has an amazing wine list and we thoroughly enjoyed the 2016 Unico Zelo Jade and Jasper Fiano from Riverland, SA ($48). We’d order it again in a flash.

Otis Dining Hall, 29 Jardine Street, Kingston. Open for lunch and dinner. Call 6260 6066.

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FOR YOUR QUILTS, PILLOWS & CUSHIONS The feather and down experts for over 30 years

New range of winter quilts! Eco-friendly cleaning and rejuvenation of:

• All feather & down products.

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• add extra feather and down to your quilts, pillows or sleeping bags.

9, 10-12 Kemble Court, Mitchell • www.thermaquilts.com.au Phone: 6241 6859 • Email: shop@thermaquilts.com.au

home & office space decluttered, organised & arranged in a way that works for you.

So if it’s time to declutter and to prioritise your life, to create a home or business that reflects who you really are and where you want to be...

I’m here to help you....

To find out more on what I can do for you please go to: www.getwellsorted.com.au • ph: 0422 490 131 email: virginia@getwellsorted.com.au

It’s time to make that annual clean sweep

SPRING is here, a time for renewal, change and a big clean out! Get ready for relaxing over the summer months by getting those cleaning and tidying jobs done now – pack away those winter woolies with care, declutter the house and garden to free up space and find time to enjoy listening to your favourite playlist or whatever fun activity takes your fancy. Meet the people who are here to help...

Taking care of quilts and more

THERMA Quilts is a locally owned and family-run business that specialises in making and servicing quilts, eiderdowns, pillows and cushions and anything made from feather and down.

The company’s unique cleaning process, which involves the feather and down being cleaned separately from the product casing in a specialised steamer and washing machine, helps the feather and down regain its loft and thermal resistance.

down inside,” she says.

“Over time this build-up dampens the down, which causes it to lose its thermal resistance.

“Our eco-friendly detergents mean that there are no harsh chemical residues on products,” says owner Jennifer Kusa.

“Using our cleaning process, we can clean quilts, sleeping bags, down jackets and more when they are in need of rejuvenation or before they are stored after winter.”

Jennifer says the servicing of feather and down products is essential for keeping them in optimal condition for comfort.

“With time and usage, body proteins and lipids (natural oils and perspiration) are absorbed on to quilt casings and into the feather and

“However, regular servicing of your quilts would ensure that your down is fresh, fluffy and keeps you nice and warm during winter.

“In addition, we can repair, recover and add extra down to existing quilts, sleeping bags, pillows and cushions.”

Therma Quilts also services silk, polyester, cotton and wool quilt underlays with eco-friendly detergents that have been modified and specifically formulated to clean each of these products.

Update storage with a company that cares Virginia likes to get it all sorted

REBUILD your kitchen or bathroom, or update your storage around your home this spring with PAC Carpentry and Joinery.

PAC Carpentry and Joinery takes pride in designing and building kitchens, bathrooms, wardrobes and storage solutions for garages.

With customer satisfaction as a top priority, the family-owned business aims to provide a friendly, professional service that ensures every project is completed to a high standard and as stress-free as possible.

Managing director Peter Theodosiou says: “PAC Carpentry and Joinery has been going since 2002, specialising in full kitchen and bathroom renovations and providing complete wardrobe design and installation for homes and offices.”

As a licensed builder, Peter and his team of qualified carpenters and joiners provide a free measure and quote, 3D drawings and co-ordinate all trades required.

“We provide services to Canberra, Queanbeyan, Yass and the surrounding districts,” says Peter.

“By co-ordinating all the trades, we make your renovation easier.”

PAC Carpentry & Joinery, Unit 9/86 Sheppard Street, Hume. Call 6260 1403 or 0408 695935, visit packitchens.com.au

WELLSORTED Professional Organiser can help people declutter and organise their home or businesses to help them live the lives they want to live, says Virginia Wells, of WellSorted.

“When working with me, we work on long-term change,” she says.

“We touch every item in the house. If we get to an item that a person ‘ums’ and ‘ahs’ about and there’s no real reason to keep it, I give them a bunch of things to think about to determine whether it stays or goes.

“We really get deep into the emotional junk of it all, no stone is left unturned and our aim is to make some positive change.”

Virginia and fellow professional organiser Alison can help people declutter and reorganise their homes – from one cupboard to the entire house. They can also assist in diary and time management to keep a household running smoothly, help to downsize and prepare to move house and filing and paperwork.

For businesses they can help with general office organisation and decluttering, filing and paperwork management, creating and streamlining business processes and systems and getting on top of a “to do” list.

“From the first point of contact we want to make people feel comfortable about where they are in life – their belongings gives them a good indication of that,” she says.

“We’re not there to make them feel ashamed or embarrassed. We

Therma Quilts, Unit 9, 10-12 Kemble Court, Mitchell. Open 9am-4pm, Monday to Friday. Call 6241 6859 or visit thermaquilts.com.au

want them to feel confident and motivated and ultimately be able to get through their ‘stuff’ on their own.”

She says any time of the year is the perfect time to get started, however spring is ideal to help you uncover all the summer leisure gear you’ve had stored away in the garage or cupboard.

“A lot of people leave organising the home before the festive season to the last minute,” she says.

“But now is a good time to look at it and give themselves the time to clean out that spare room for visitors and be less stressed.”

WellSorted Professional Organiser. Visit getwellsorted.com.au, email virginia@getwellsorted.com.au or call 0422 490 131.

gardening

Just hanging around

HANGING gardens are a great way to brighten up a verandah or townhouse balcony with a floral display in a minimum of space.

I say hanging gardens rather than hanging baskets because I frequently see hanging baskets in gardens where the plants have long died and, yes, one is left with a hanging basket.

The ideal liner for baskets is foam carpet underfelt, the one with plastic on one side and multi-coloured foam on the other. Place the plastic on the inside, making a few holes for drainage.

I have baskets in our garden many years old using this type of liner and it still looks good. Usually, you can pick up offcuts from most carpet firms at minimal or no cost. The problem with other lining material, such as coconut liners, is that the birds just love it for nesting material.

Another minor problem is that water drains through most potting mix too quickly causing rapid drying out. While we may curse clay in the garden, one useful way to retain moisture considerably longer is to mix one third clay with two thirds premium potting mix.

When hanging the basket, a toggle clip will enable the basket to be rotated on a regular basis.

Now, to the plants. Use trailing plants in the mix of annuals such as ivy geraniums or Parahebe “Oxford Blue”. Be more adventuresome with a variety of plants rather than just one plant and, for baskets in full

sun, plant a mixture of geraniums, begonias, petunias, nasturtiums and lobelia. For baskets in partial shade, try Gardenia radicans, fuchsias, impatiens, viola and dwarf ferns.

I’M sure most gardeners want a plant to show off in their garden that no other gardener has.

An example of a hard-to-get but stunning plant is Daphne napolitana, pictured here just coming into flower in our garden. As its name suggests, it is a native of the Naples area in the Mediterranean, loves summer heat, is drought tolerant and not worried by Canberra’s cold winters. This is a many-branched, compact shrub that grows to about 1m high x 1.2m wide with very small, leathery, dark-green leaves. It’s tiny purple-pink flowers appear in abundance almost hiding the foliage when in full flower.

Jottings...

• Prune citrus trees to keep them to a manageable size for easy picking.

• Trim frost-damaged foliage from evergreen shrubs.

• Plant herbs as fillers among the general garden beds at the same time as discouraging pests.

• Prune scraggly, old growth off clematis once the new shoots emerge.

Rare glimpse of Braidwood gardens

AN 1850s flour mill, a thriving slow-food farm, properties steeped in history and newer gardens are among the attractions of this year’s Braidwood Open Gardens, on the weekend of October 15-16.

The event, a fundraiser for Braidwood’s not-for-profit preschool, will see seven gardens and a historic property open their gates to provide visitors with a rare glimpse into the town’s origins and gardening culture.

The properties – Millpond Farm, Durham Hall, Linden, Wynlen House, Green Farm, Tudor Valley and Deua Tin Huts – will be open 10am-4pm both days. The Bedervale property will only open on Sunday.

There will be an art exhibition, vintage car display and Landcare talks at Millpond Farm, refreshments at Durham Hall and Deua Tin Huts, guided tours of the Wynlen House produce gardens and Sunday tours of Bedervale Homestead and its collection of National Trust-listed furniture and contents.

Entry is $5 a garden, under 18s free. More information at braidwoodgardens.com.au

• Try planting blueberries and azaleas together, they both like the same type of acid soil.

• The Australian Native Plant Society’s spring plant sale is at the Botanic Gardens, 8.30am-1.30pm, on Saturday, October 15, with more than 9000 plants to choose from. Bring your own bags and boxes.

• The Bundanoon Garden Ramble will be on the weekend of October 22-23 with eight private gardens open 9.30am-4.30pm. Tickets are $20 for all gardens or $5 a single garden. Tickets from the Soldiers Memorial Hall. More information at bundanoongardenramble.org.au

GAIL FREEMAN & CO PTY LTD

Joanne Madeline Moore

ARIES (Mar 21 – Apr 20)

Passionate partnerships and creative joint ventures are favoured. But words can cut like a knife (especially on Thursday and Friday) when it will be very easy to say the wrong thing to the wrong person at the wrong time. So think things through and choose your words wisely. Expect the fur to fly on the weekend, as Uranus and the Full Moon fire up relationships and heat up your hasty side. Slow down Rams. Otherwise you’re likely to over-react and do something you later regret!

TAURUS (Apr 21 – May 20)

A staff member was insisting that her tax deduction should be reduced and so business owner Shelley came to see me for advice. I confirmed that, yes, there had been a change to personal income tax with the threshold at which the tax rate changes from 32.5 per cent to 37 per cent (plus 2 per cent Medicare levy) having increased from $80,000 to $87,000.

“So, the reduction only affects people earning more than $80,000,” I told Shelley.

The income tax tables have changed and the latest version, that apply from October 1, 2016, are available at ato.gov.au.

“If you pay wages using a payroll program you should have received instructions from the payroll provider,” I advised Shelley.

“In some programs you load a new set of tables, whereas in other programs they have been loaded. If you have not received advice from your payroll provider then you should contact them immediately to confirm what you will need to do.”

Shelley said she hadn’t heard from them and would chase them immediately, asking if there were any other major changes she needed to worry about.

“If you have any employees repaying a HECS/HELP debt, you should remind them that there are changes which apply from January 1, 2017,” I said.

“From that date there will not be an upfront discount for payment of fees or a discount for lump-sum payments of more than $500.

“So if your employees are thinking of making a lump sum payment to reduce the debt they would be wise to do that before Christmas.”

As a small business employing fewer than 19 people, I told Shelley that she needed to be registered for “SuperStream” for her employees.

“You can easily register for the superannuation clearing house online at the ATO. You need to do this on or before October 28, which will allow you to pay superannuation obligations to multiple funds in one hit.”

Shelley admitted that she had forgotten to register for SuperStream and was grateful for the reminder. That inspired a further question regarding her and husband Ray who, as directors, pay super into their self managed superannuation fund.

“The rules are slightly different for SMSFs,” I told her.

“If the contributions you make to the SMSF are for your business and you are a director, which clearly is the case with Ray and yourself, then you can continue to make electronic payments direct to the SMSF for yourselves.

“On the other hand, if one of your employees requests that their superannuation guarantee contributions should be paid to their SMSF then you need to register that SMSF with the clearing house.

“You will find that you can use the clearing house listed on the ATO website. There are many others if you prefer a different option just ask me next time we meet.”

Shelley left my office saying: “Thank you so much, Gail. I now feel prepared for the future.”

If you need information on your payroll business tax or superannuation contact the friendly team at Gail Freeman & Co Pty Ltd

With Venus visiting your partnership zone, it will be easier to sort out relationship problems than at other times. Especially if you articulate your feelings and are prepared to compromise. Attached Bulls – your partner is looking for some sensible and balanced advice. Singles – make a flirtatious admirer prove themselves before you ride off into a romantic sunset. The weekend is a wonderful time to enjoy creative activities that draw on the richness of your imaginative world within.

GEMINI (May 21 – June 21)

The focus is on friendships. How to nurture them, keep them and then let them go when you have outgrown each other. You’ll find mutual interests are essential to long-term platonic relationships. When it comes to communication, you’ve certainly got the Gemini gift of the gab. But on Thursday and Friday, be careful you don’t blurt out remarks that you later regret. On the weekend, a long-standing cherished dream could suddenly veer off in a totally different direction.

CANCER (June 22 – July 22)

Positivity planet Jupiter helps improve relationships at Casa Cancer. So the focus is firmly on home and family this week, as you fix up a domestic problem or talk things through with a loved one. But Crabs will be anything but congenial on the weekend when the Full Moon fires up your crabby side, and the Sun/Uranus opposition highlights worries at work. So pace yourself! Plus do your best to avoid stressful situations and people who push your emotional buttons.

LEO (July 23 – Aug 22)

Are you making the most of your marvellous mind? With Mercury and Jupiter joining up in your communication zone, expand your thinking to encompass innovative ideas and creative concepts. But Uranus and the Full Moon could cause chaos on the weekend, when you lurch from one drama to another. If you are too hasty, then you could find yourself involved in an argument or accident. So take particular care when driving or walking in high traffic areas. No distractions!

VIRGO (Aug 23 – Sept 22)

Monday through until Wednesday is a terrific time to travel, teach, talk about a business idea, publish an educational post or learn something new. But the big lesson to learn is how to diversify and delegate. No one (not even a super effective Virgo) is indispensable. On the weekend, Uranus and the Full Moon could precipitate a financial fiasco over joint finances; a sexual drama or an embarrassing indiscretion. So be observant, wise up, and have your wits about you!

LIBRA (Sept 23 – Oct 23)

This week the planets stir up problems with a partnership (of the romantic or platonic variety) so expect the unexpected! With the Sun, Mercury and Jupiter all visiting your sign, comfort eating is a danger and it will be difficult to stick to your chosen diet or exercise plan. Perhaps it would be better to moderate your perfectionist streak and accept yourself just the way you are? In the words of birthday great Oscar Wilde: “To love oneself is the beginning of a lifelong romance.”

SCORPIO (Oct 24 – Nov 21)

Expect flashes of creative and spiritual inspiration on Tuesday, as your imagination and intuition kick in. The weekend looks intense when the Full Moon and Mercury/ Pluto square stir up inner compulsions, submerged secrets or hidden resentments. Plus you could become possessive about a person, possession or place. Strive to keep things in perspective and learn to let go. As birthday great Hugh Jackman observes: “You can’t go through life obsessing about what might have been.”

SAGITTARIUS (Nov 22 – Dec 21)

Prepare to inspire others with your high spirits and contagious enthusiasm! You’re at your bouncy and buoyant best on Tuesday, as Mercury and Jupiter boost confidence levels and put extra wind in your Sagittarian sails. But a situation (with a child, parent, lover or friend) looks chaotic on the weekend, when you misinterpret their actions. Ask for some clarification, otherwise you’ll jump to hasty and half-baked conclusions! Patience (not one of your natural virtues) is the key.

CAPRICORN (Dec 22 – Jan 19)

When it comes to business matters or your general life direction, it’s time to banish old beliefs and ancient attitudes. Instead, look to the future with renewed confidence and fresh entrepreneurial ideas. A family fiasco from the past has got your head in a spin but do your best to sort out simmering domestic dramas. A relative will be anything but reasonable on the weekend so strive to be a cool, calm and collected Capricorn, as you focus on being positive and productive.

AQUARIUS (Jan 20 – Feb 18)

It’s a wonderful week to expand your world via exciting foreign friendships and international contacts. If you link up with like-minded people, then it will open up new doors of opportunity. But be careful what you post online, as a casual comment could lead to controversy. And expect the sparks to fly on the weekend, when the Full Moon fires up emotions and Uranus revs up your impulsive, rebellious side. If you must be a rebel, aim to be one with a worthy cause.

PISCES (Feb 19 – Mar 20)

On Tuesday and Wednesday, the planets help you power through projects with plenty of motivation and a creative plan. You’ll find the combination of physical endurance and creative energy is a winning double. Attached Pisceans – be patient with your partner. Singles – love and travel are linked. But money matters may come to a head on the weekend, when you realise your bank balance and your wish list are worlds apart. Time to boost your cash flow and re-design your dreams.

Copyright Joanne Madeline Moore 2016 Daily astrology updates at twitter.com/JoMadelineMoore

8

9 What do we call the main executive organ of government?

10 Which term is indicative of electromotive force?

11 What are large placards also known as?

12 What is an alternative name for a cashier?

14 Name an Australian rock group, formed in 1974, Cold ...

18 Dunc Gray won Olympic gold in 1932 as a what?

21 Which term describes that which is the best, or most favourable?

22 Name the AFL premier team of 1995.

23 That which is made of baked clay is regarded as what?

24 What do we call one who clips sheep as a means of livelihood?

1 What is another name for a military policeman?

2 What is a sacred song or hymn?

3 To which mollusc group does an oyster belong?

4 Name the muscle on the front of the upper arm.

5 Who was the first professional English cricketer to receive a knighthood, Sir Jack ...?

6 What are stable troughs from which horses or cattle eat?

7 What do we call areas on which buildings are situated?

13 Name another term for alfalfa.

15 Which branch of knowledge deals with past events?

16 Which mouselike rodent is noted for its apparent mass suicide?

17 What do we call a person who throws rocks?

18 What are male birds known as?

19 To bury someone, is to do what?

20 Name a US city in eastern Nebraska, on the Missouri river.

‘Canberrans value their clubs and it’s evident with

The best of community clubs take a bow

GUNGAHLIN Lakes Golf and Community Club, the National Press Club of Australia and the Southern Cross Club Jamison topped the winners’ list at the ACT club industry’s awards night, winning the highest accolades of the year.

Multiple clubs were recognised for their commitment to the community, exceptional service and unrivalled facilities at the Your Canberra Clubs People’s Choice Awards held at the Hellenic Club in Woden.

Gwyn Rees, ClubsACT chief executive, said that more than 16,000 Canberrans voted for the coveted Your Canberra Clubs People’s Choice Awards with venues winning the large, medium and small Club of the Year titles.

“The awards are about giving Canberrans the opportunity to show their appreciation for their favourite club.

“The clubs and individuals recognised are an example of what can be achieved through hard work and dedication.

“We celebrated clubs’ commitment to the community and customer service. However, to win the vote of the people is the one many of the clubs vie for.

“Clubs are currently working on ensuring their survival across the ACT, so to be able to focus, however briefly, on our significant role in the community and successes as individual organisations is refreshing.”

The Gungahlin Lakes Golf and Community Club was named Canberra’s favourite Large Club of the Year.

Offering unrivalled social and recreational facilities, the club is an outstanding community hub for outdoor activities. With more than 70 hectares of picturesque green land, open for public access, it was highly commended for its outdoor recreation and golf facilities

for all ages.

The Southern Cross Club Jamison won the Medium Club of the Year award for its family, health and wellness services as well as its commitment to community contributions. Over the past decade, the Southern Cross Group

has contributed over $13 million across a multitude of health, sporting and social organisations.

The People’s Choice Small Club of the Year was awarded to the National Press Club.

It was commended as a highly desirable destination for live music, political events and business meetings.

Visitors flock to the club for after-work drinks, jazz music and food prepared by award-winning chefs.

Other honours include the Rising Star Awards. Sam Coulter from the Canberra Southern Cross Yacht Club and Sophie Schilliro from the National Press Club were recognised for their devotion and enthusiasm.

The pair were applauded and celebrated as the champion employees of 2016.

Canberrans who voted for their favourite club were also placed in the draw to win a tropical trip away to Hamilton Island.

The winner, Claire Nell, was in the middle of planning her honeymoon when she received the news.

“Not only did I have my wedding reception at a local club but now, thanks to ClubsACT, I will be spending my honeymoon amongst lush nature and warm weather!” said Claire.

The night was an important celebration for clubs and their employees during a challenging year. Gwyn Rees says the clubs’ continued contribution to the community is to be highly commended.

“I am pleased to congratulate all winners who were honoured by the industry at a premier awards event.

“Canberrans value their clubs and it’s evident with the staggering response of over 16,000 votes.”

ALWAYS THE FOR THE BEST

VIKINGS GROUP SERVICE, FACILITIES AND COMMUNITY SUPPORT IT’S

2016 CLUBS ACT COMMUNITY AND SERVICE AWARDS RECEIVED:

COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIP AWARD VIKINGS GROUP

BEST CUSTOMER SERVICE LANYON VIKINGS

BEST ENTERTAINMENT ERINDALE VIKINGS

BEST NEW/REDEVELOPED VENUE ERINDALE VIKINGS

BEST CAFE/COFFEE SHOP CHISHOLM VIKINGS, MOO&BREW

OUTSTANDING SERVICE EMPLOYEE MEL WEST, TOWN CENTRE VIKINGS

Your Canberra Clubs People’s Choice Awards special feature

THE WINNERS ARE…

People’s Choice Awards winners

Best Large Club: Gungahlin Lakes Golf and Community Club

Best Medium Club: Southern Cross Club Jamison

Best Small Club: National Press Club of Australia

Other award winners

Best Family Dining: Canberra Southern Cross Club

Tuggeranong, The Mawson Club

Best Dining Experience: National Press Club of Australia

Best Bar Presentation and Service: Ainslie Football and Social Club

Best Functions and Events: Canberra Racing Club

Best Café/Coffee Shop: Vikings Chisholm

Best Sports Bar: Eastlake Football Club

Best Keno Venue: Gungahlin Lakes Golf and Community Club

Best Customer Service: Vikings Lanyon

Best Entertainment: Vikings Erindale

Best Beer Selection: Gungahlin Lakes Golf and Community Club

Best Wine List: Hellenic Club Woden

Best New/Re-developed Venue: Vikings Erindale

Outstanding Service Employee: Mel West, Vikings Group

Rising Stars: Sam Coulter, Canberra Southern Cross Yacht Club.

Sophie Schilliro, National Press Club

Community Partnership Award: Vikings Group

Community Hero Award: Canberra Southern Cross Club Woden

Club Nominated Charity Award: Newborn Intensive Care

Foundation Nominated by the Hellenic Club Woden

Chefs on Show: Nicholas Wren and Christopher Drover, Canberra Southern Cross Club Woden. Runners up: Matt Weller and Sam Singh from the Royal Canberra Golf Club.

BEST SPORTS BAR

If you’re looking to host an event that’s best in the field, The Deck Marquee at Thoroughbred Park is a destination like no other.

Your Canberra Clubs People’s Choice Awards special

LABOR AND THE GREENS ARE PUTTING FOREIGN OWNED INVESTORS FIRST. IF YOU LOVE YOUR CLUB DON’T VOTE LABOR OR